One of the evident acts of the human spirit is the need for connection, not just proximity. The need for closeness with other beings of one’s kind also appears in animals, yet it is not sufficient for us. The human need for connecting places, regions, and people, for facilitating contact, goes beyond utilitarian ideas of faster transportation of goods. The true concept of progress has always included more than just the ease of exchanging goods. It encompasses the exchange of experiences, perspectives, knowledge, traditions, wisdom, values, and more.

Sometimes, we tend to fall into the trap of thinking that progress comes only through isolation, by protecting ourselves from others and those who are different, by jealously guarding ourselves and what is ours. But history and practice show otherwise. Progress has always arisen through contact between different groups of people, through connecting distant places, through building roads, bridges, railways, and the like. This truth also applies to this region and the railway that connected all these small places, bringing them a breath of freshness and new opportunities for encounters, nourishment, and work. Today, this region continues to live through its openness to others.

There are many situations where remaining closed and isolated is not beneficial. However, the dangers of openness and connection are also understandable. There is always the risk that someone stronger and malicious may come, bringing devastation and destruction instead of building and progress. This region has felt that side of the coin many times. Each of us has experienced both sides of the coin regarding openness and connecting with others. Human experiences and life on earth can sometimes be painful and challenging, discouraging us from further attempts to connect. We may feel the urge to burn bridges and railways instead of building and using them. While this might protect us from danger, it will neither satisfy nor extinguish our deep need for connection, for community, for growth, for the new, and for progress. Suppressing this need can lead to illness.

We have no real alternative but to strive for what is inherently part of our nature because only then do we move toward the wholeness and purpose of our being. Only then do we build a meaningful civilization, leaving a mark in our landscape for others to use. Stepping out of oneself, despite potential risks, is an act of courage and a commitment to a better world.

No human need, especially a spiritual one, exists in isolation. To fulfill one need correctly, we must find balance in other areas. A person is a whole, and therefore, it is essential to work on oneself to connect properly with others and, when necessary, to protect oneself from them. Such self-development is a challenging and arduous process. Seeing oneself clearly is difficult, as is correctly assessing situations.

We are often filled with advice for self-help and human wisdom, but we frequently need assistance that comes from somewhere beyond us, that transcends us. The Church of Saints Peter and Paul standing in this place points us first to the great figures of history who came before us. Both Saint Peter and especially Saint Paul had a need for connection and proclamation. We can say that this was their life’s calling, which, as we read in the Holy Scriptures, was not without difficulties and challenging situations. Yet, these challenges could neither stop nor embitter them to go toward people and the world because they recognized the source of their aspirations in a Source above themselves.

We are created in God’s image, which means there is an imprint of God’s attributes in us. Our spiritual needs are a reflection of what God, who is Trinity, already is — perfect communion and connection without threatening or losing the identity of the other. If we wish to achieve this here on earth, there is no other way but to allow ourselves to be guided and shaped by the One who is in Heaven